No. 241  February 2003

BAR CODES AND DRUGS  Once upon a time, if you are old enough to remember, there weren’t any bar codes.  All the foods, clothes, and other items, which now have bar codes, did not have any. Now, every food and non-food item sold in almost every store has a bar code, which is scanned at the sales desk or checkout counter except drugs.  Currently neither prescription nor over-the-counter drugs have bar codes. Barcodes expedite the sales process, and allow immediate identification and tracking.  However, codes could be applied to every drug for immediate identification and tracking. Bar codes, applied to patients would also help the tracking of drugs. The computer would assign codes to track the drugs, the patients, and the drugs on a patient’s chart. When drugs are given to the patient, the computer would check the drug codes against the patient’s code, and the drug codes on the patient’s chart, and all codes must match. The   FDA’s Questions and Answers Regarding the Bar Code Proposal  http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/barcode-sadr/qa-barcode.html has the answers as to how the bar code works.  In the FDA Proposes Bar Codes for Drugs, Blood; New Adverse Reaction Reporting System site http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/barcode-sadr/fs-barcode.html there are links to the FDA Press Release about the bar codes, to the text of the Proposed Regulation, and related information. The whole process sounds pretty simple and workable.  “Strategies to Reduce Medication Errors” by Michelle Meadows, FDA Consumer, V. 37, No. 3, May-June, 2003, pages 20-27 (HE 20.4010:37/3) and online at http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/303_meds.html also contains more information.  

CHICXULUB & THE GREAT METEOR About 65 million years ago, the when the dinosaurs were enjoying life, an asteroid or part of a comet impacted on Earth. In the Caribbean Sea coast of  Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the meteor caused a 112-mile wide, 3,000-foot deep crater. The Meteor’s impact ultimately affected the land formation in the Yucatan Peninsula, resulting in a crater that was proposed but not “found.”  In 1980, scientists proposed the existence of the  Chicxulub (Chick-sah-loob) impact crater, but it was not until NASA’s recent Shuttle Radar Topography Mission found Chicxulub.  NASA’s new radar that was designed to take a “topographic” picture of Earth from outer space resulted in the radar picture of Chicxulub. Chicxulub is the current evidence that provides the theory that a meteor caused the death of the dinosaurs.  The meteor’s impact caused dust in the atmosphere that blocked the sun resulting in mass extinctions of plants and animals.  Further details and explanation about NASA’s new Shuttle Radar Topography, Chicxulub, the new view of Earth’s topography are found in NASA’s News Release http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2003/30.cfm.   Within NASA’s Planetary Photojournals at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03379 you will find a Satellite Image of Chicxulub. At the bottom of the page is a link to the NASA Product/Services List where you can order hardcopies of the Chicxulub Image.   

 ASTRONAUT’S (NEW) VIEW OF EARTH You no longer have to be an astronaut to see the Earth from outer space. There were many people (including the astronauts) who wanted to see what Earth looked like from outer space, but only a few have been able to go. Those astronauts were not able to share their view with those people who will never go into outer space.  Now, as of the completion of the recent NASA Shuttle Topography Radar Mission, we can see the Earth as the astronauts did, or may better. The astronauts were constantly moving and their view was constantly changing as they moved away, around, or toward the Earth.  On February 11, 2000 , the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) payload onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour launched into space. The SRTM radar swept 80% of the land surfaces of the Earth acquiring enough data during its ten days to create the first-ever and the most complete near-global high-resolution database of the Earth's topography.  NASA’s SRTM website http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/ provide information about the SRTM Mission and Data Products.  You can view (the) North American Continent (as a Satellite Image) as it looks from outer space on the NASA Planetary Photojournal web page at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03377.  At the very bottom of this page there is a link to the NASA Product Services/Source List to order a hardcopy(ies) of the Satellite Image.  The SRTM Photojournal Search link provides access to a “mission search” (selecting SRTM) and to find the other (SRTM) Images of Earth.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS The 1956 movie version of Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in 80 Days lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes and the movie’s characters, Phineas Fogg and Passepartout took us on a trip around the world.  However, in 2003, someone can take a tour of the world in less than 2 hours and 50 minutes and never leave your computer.  In the NASA SRTM Data Products page (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/dataprod.htm), there is a “Gallery of Data Products”.  A search of PHOTOJOURNAL by SRTM at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/PIADetQuery.html produced 186 images and What Part of the Earth was Mapped?  http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/coverage.html showed images of the Earth both in a flat map (perspective) view and as a Globe in a global view. These views show the 80% of the Earth that was photographed.   This new NASA series of satellite photos are quite impressive and on the Gallery of Data Products page is a list of cities, countries, and continents you can visit. Quite impressive, to say the least, but I still enjoyed the movie’s brief but down-to-earth world tour.

 AIRLINE PASSENGER CARRY ONE ITEMS Currently, when a passenger goes through the Transportation Security Administration’s checkpoint at any airport there are certain items that he may be allowed to carry onto the plane. There are certain items that are prohibited from being carried in the passenger cabin, and some items that can ride in the luggage compartment. First,” I.  Weapons, explosives, and incendiaries” are strictly prohibited. Guns and firearms, sharp objects, club-like items, explosives, incendiaries, and dangerous items are subjects/categories which are found in a very lengthy list of  “Prohibited items” found in the U. S. Code, Title 49, Section 40101 and the Code of Federal Regulations Title 49, Part 1540.111. These legal texts also present a second, “II. Permitted Items” list which includes, (A.) Medical and Personals Items, and (B.) Toys, Hobby Items, and Other Items Posing Little Risk.”  There is also a third list, “III. Items Prohibited in Sterile and Cabin Areas but that may Be Placed in Checked Luggage.”  The TSA laws also state that, “ IV. These Lists are not Exclusive.”  Neither the prohibited items list nor the permitted items list contains all possible items. A TSA security screener has discretion to prohibit an individual from carrying on an item into the sterile area or onboard the aircraft if the screener determines that the item is a weapon, explosive, or incendiary, regardless of whether the item is on the prohibited items list or the permitted items list.  The TSA security screener has the broad interpretive power about what is and is not allowed in aircraft due to the TSA Interpretative Rule. “Transportation Security Administration, Prohibited Items, Interpretive Rule” Federal Register, V. 68, No. 31, February 14, 2003, pages 7444-7448 (AE 2.106:68/31) for all the details. 

SPRING (SAFETY) FASHIONS  The beginnings of spring and summer outdoor construction is right around the corner. All safety/fashion conscious men and women in an occupation which requires some personal protective equipment (PPE) for the eyes and face will want to review the some of the latest PPE fashions. Designed to prevent or lessen occupational injuries, the latest OSHA line of specified and designed line of safety products is now available.   Intended as self-explanatory, the OSHA website is an easy to use, interactive educational tool. The Eye and Face Protection eTool page http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/eyeandface/ppe/selection.html is for you.   Whether you rivet steel (impact), pour molten metal (heat), mix chemicals or analyze blood (chemicals), sweep fiberglass fibers (dust), or electric arc weld (or with acetylene or a laser) (optical radiation), the OSHA designer safety equipment, which meets all the OSHA requirements is found here. In the lengthy OSHA Requirements page is the information on the Standards, Training/Qualification, Criteria, Fitting, Maintenance/Care, and Contacts and Prescription (Rx) Lenses Information for the best-dressed worker in the latest PPE styles. This PPE equipment will immediately be a hit with the high-rise welders, laboratory assistant, tool grinder, and any other occupation where PPE equipment is needed. This is a unique site that is worth a visit.   

BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING: HEALTH ECONOMICS A study has shown that infants who are breast-fed are healthier than bottle fed infants. Between 1990 and 1998, there were several medical literature carried several articles about the illnesses between bottle and breast fed infants. In March 2001 Jon Weimer did an economic study of otitis media, gastroenteritis, and necrotizing enterocolitis.  Weimer reviewed and analyzed the articles about the occurrences of these three illnesses.  The resulting report is 14 pages which includes a chart and table showing the number of cases of each illness for the breast and bottle fed infants and the estimated costs for each illness, by type, feeding method, and literature.  Weimer identifies all the previous studies, the federal sources of information and studies about the pros and cons of breastfeeding.  He also includes the health advantages and the economic benefits of breastfeeding. “A minimum of $3.6 billion would be saved if breastfeeding were increased from current levels (64 percent in-hospital, 29 percent at 6 months) to those recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General (75 and 50 percent).”  This and more information and details can be found in The Economic Benefits of Breastfeeding: A Review and Analysis, 14 pages issued in March 2001 by the USDA Economic Research Service. A PDF copy is found at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr13/fanrr13.pdf but at http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fanrr13/ you can order a paper copy.  Later information is found in “HHS Program to Boost Breast-feeding” by Carol Lewis, FDA Consumer, V. 37, No. 3  May-June, 2003, pages 12-17(HE 20.4010:37/3) which is also online at http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2003/303_baby.html 

IT’S ABOUT TIME  It’s also time to learn. It’s time to learn about time. It’s time it is to find out what time it is. It’s time to walk though time to learn about the history of time(keeping). Time, which is now measured by the U.S. Atomic Clock, was first measured by grains of sand in an hourglass.   It’s time to see how time was marked first by sand, then by mechanisms, then by quartz movements, by seconds, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. A click of the computer mouse the appropriate number of times will find all the calendars though the ages. There are six time zones, which cover all fifty states, showing the correct time for each State. There is even information about Daylight Savings Time, for those interested in Summer “timesaving.”   It is time to take some time to go to The Official United States Time that originates from the Atomic Clock. The Atomic Clock is the official timekeeper maintained by the Physics Laboratory of the Time and Frequency Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology of the U. S. Department of Commerce, in conjunction with the U.S. Naval Observatory that is the official timekeeper for the United States Government. The Time Site http://www.time.gov is worthy of a long time visit, since only a short time is needed visit this site and find links to: Time Exhibits, A Walk through Time, Calendars Through the Ages, Daylight Savings Time, Clockworks, Its About Time, and The Quartz Watch. To learn more about  Time, Timepieces, Timekeepers, and Saving Time, it is time to go and visit the Time site since this is the end of  IT’S ABOUT TIME. 

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July 14, 2003

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